I'm trying not to spend the rest of my life trapped between a Russian dictionary, a thesaurus and a rhyming dictionary, not to mention feeling rather guilty that r_blackcat did firmly say she didn't have time to translate the whole of Finrod Zong and yet has ended up heroically exploring... well. Rather a lot of lines.

But I have to admit, I am pleased with what we finally wrangled into English between us, for Sauron's lines and then Finrod's great spell: I think it was worth the effort.

Sauron:

A feeble imitation of the Creator’s first design -

What little can you do, to restore the broken line?

The Song of Creation can no longer be altered:

The thread is too far woven, pattern forever faulted

I see you losing everything, all you have been given.

Left with only bitter memory... Are you strong enough for that?

Finrod:

Where nothing is forgotten,

there on the stone curl runes,

The strings of the lyre

untouched by running years.

At my shoulder stands the young

Untainted peaceful world

Rising like a new dawn

Nothing’s forgotten,

Memory has such power,

that it keeps us from harm.

Memory is alive

And see, she is unstained,

Wraiths and lies

vanish, like a dream.

That is the law

While imperishable light

fills the sky.

I call upon the memory of

the Light before Sun and Moon

To lift my voice against you.

So that our strengths are matched

...our strengths are matched...

Sauron:

Power in this world belongs only to he,

Who would without doubt tear off the chains of slavery

Quendi - naught but servants of masters that they curse,

Pitiful parody of the people who are real

Things like you can’t play the games of darkness and of light,

I am free to do with you, anything I want.

Yes, the Robin of Sherwood reference was deliberate! And I'm posting this in an attempt to stop myself staring intently at the last two lines of Sauron's first verse and trying to make them rhyme as well, because that way madness lies.

Whenever I read your posts on this I get that strange Russian song which you posted a while ago playing in my head and then I cannot get rid of it for an hour or so ). And I do not even like that song ).

You are doing a wonderful job (and the original Russian poets who composed this have my awed and unreserved admiration). This sounds more like what I imagine Elvish poetry to be like than pretty much anything else I have ever read.

Yes, yes, madness definitely lies there, stop right now! :DWhat's the reference to "Robin of Sherwood"? I mean, what line? Something about the Light and Darkness I suppose? I love ROS but don't remember text so well.

It's easier to start searching for exactly the right word than to stop! :-D

The Robin of Sherwood line is "Nothing’s forgotten" (Nothing's forgotten... nothing's ever forgotten ...) I was tempted to shove 'nothing's ever forgotten' in there too but that would be self-indulgent. :-D